People lined up all down the block for The Sampler Inn’s cafeteria food and convivial atmosphere. Photo courtesy Historical Society of Ocean Grove
By Charles Layton @Blogfinger
By the time the Township demolished it in 2009, The Sampler Inn had stood at 28 Main Avenue for approximately 90 years. It was one of Ocean Grove’s most beloved institutions. As you can see from the photo above, people used to flock to its cafeteria for a traditional fare that included whipped sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, macaroni and cheese, lamb chops, ham with raisin sauce, a rich array of desserts and, at breakfast, among other things, a generous selection of hot cereals.
But the years took their toll. When The Sampler’s absentee owners filed for bankruptcy in 2006, the place had become a first-class public nuisance — boarded up, empty and gutted on the inside, unmaintained, with a caving-in roof and other structural atrocities. Teenagers broke into the place in summer to prowl and explore. Vagrants camped there in winter, sometimes drinking, sometimes warming themselves before sterno stoves.
Jeff Dean, who lived on Heck Avenue just behind The Sampler, said if the place had ever caught fire “the whole neighborhood would have been gone.” Another neighbor, Danny Beaman, said, “I remember being in bed and hearing noises and getting out of bed and running to see if The Sampler was on fire.” Some of the people living closest to The Sampler were disabled or elderly; they’d have had a tough time escaping from a raging inferno. “The Sampler was two feet from my mother’s house,” said Lisa Noll. (Her mother was in her early 80s, and a man living in the same house was in his 90s.)
The neighbors, especially those on Heck in the second block from the beach, fought for years against the menace that The Sampler had become. It was a battle to defend their properties, their peace of mind and, as they saw it, their very lives. But it was also a battle for the common good of Ocean Grove, alerting people in this town, and some people in government, to take derelict buildings more seriously.
One recent evening some of those Heck Avenue neighbors got together over refreshments in Beaman’s living room and relived their experiences. Theirs is a story that needs to be recorded and remembered. Lessons can be learned about the power of aroused and well-organized citizens.
Some (but by no means all) of the veterans of the Sampler campaign. Front, l. to r.: Kirsten Beneke, Sue Beneke, Danny Beaman, Carmen Rivera and Lisa Noll. Standing: Jay Shapiro, Gloria Wigert and Jeff Dean. Photo by Mary Walton
Some had fond memories. Although Sue Beneke, who lived right next door to The Sampler, endured years of anxiety and inconvenience, even she considered the place “a beautiful institution.” Her daughter, Kirsten, recalled how, as a child, she would go to the side door of the kitchen every morning and get a muffin for breakfast. Another Heck resident, Carmen Rivera, volunteered to teach English to a young girl from Poland who worked at The Sampler. Relations were usually neighborly, and when a problem arose people tended to seek constructive solutions. Beneke said some of the college kids who worked in the kitchen used to play a radio very loud at 5 o’clock in the morning. “So I bought them all radio head sets, and they actually used them,” she said.
Still, even before the place became a total wreck, there were problems, many associated with the kitchen, which faced Heck Avenue. One problem was rodents.
Beaman: “I used to watch from my front porch. There was a hole in the back wall where the cats would line up and wait for the mice to run out. It was amusing; they would wait in line patiently for the next mouse to come out, and then they would go chasing after it.”
Noise and truck pollution were less amusing. At a certain point, the neighbors said, large trucks started arriving at 5 a.m. to deliver goods to the kitchen. They would leave their engines running, filling the street with foul-smelling exhaust.
Then there was the leaking garbage — “dumpster juice” and “dumpster puddles” they called it. The odor drove people inside. “I just remember one summer day all of us had to go inside our houses because the garbage was leaking out of the dumpster,” Jay Shapiro said. “It was bad.”
Sue Beneke recalled “big canisters of fat” in back of the kitchen. “We tried to build a fence around the back of the kitchen, that would hide the fat vats and the dumpsters and everything,” Beneke said. “We drew the design. And then I went over there to the owners and said, ‘All the neighbors will even pay for it. We’ll pay for this beautiful Victorian fence for the kitchen, take the loading dock down.’ We were even going to make it like a French bistro. But they would not let us do it.”
TO CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE: click here.
Bullets: You might have missed the point in our story about the garbage. We understood the conditions when we bought our houses and we did not complain for years. Our comments were part of a broader discussion about how a neighborhood could be proactive to problems. The condition surrounding the garbage got significantly worse in the last few years. Instead of “incessant complaining,” we approached the former Sampler Inn owner, explained our concerns, suggested a solution that would not negatively effect the Sampler, and offered to pay for it out of our own pockets.
As for your comment that “the building would still exist if the original condo plan was allowed. The residents’ fear of some issue with this plan possibly caused the death of the Sampler,” I completely disagree with you. The original condo plan called for the demolition of just about all of the Sampler Inn and would have replaced it with a building that few would recognize as the Sampler — not architecturally and certainly not in usage. Instead of being confrontational, we approached the developer to explain our concerns. He was sympathetic enough to agree with our suggested compromise — to build single family houses on Heck and scale down the building on Main so it would better resemble the original Sampler Inn. He even decided to move into one of the houses on Heck, joining us as a new neighbor. He never had a chance to submit this new plan because he canceled his contract to purchase the property when it became obvious that getting a clear title would be difficult due to the circumstances of how Koplitz purchased the Sampler and its bankruptcy.
I believe the Township agreed to allow many of the “short-term” hotel rooms in the Park View to become “long-term” (apartments). I don’t know how many or how this was allowed without going before the zoning board.
I also don’t understand how this hotel pays less in property taxes than the single-family home next to it. Something is wrong here.
Single family home owners are paying the property tax burden for these hotels/apartments and multi-family homes. The owners are making very high profits.
Clarification: My commnents about the inns on Ocean Pathway (i.e., Ocean Plaza and the Ocean View Inn) are directed at the exteriors of these buildings (peeling paint, distressed wood in areas, and in the case of the Ocean Plaza on a recent weekend, overflowing garbage cans). I remember when the both of these buildings were rehabbed and the exteriors periodically maintained by prior owners.
@lulu: I’m not talking about bringing attention to an abandoned building.
I’m talking about complaining about standard commercial operations like truck deliveries and dumpsters that existed long before these residents moved in.
Obviously the property is owned by the CMA, the question is if anyone holds the lease.
I think Janet meant the Park View Inn.
The deteriorating condition of the Ocean Plaza? I stayed there recently; I found it to be wonderful! Janet, I’m beginning to think you are a glass half-full kind of gal.
Janet…
I don’t want to argue pro or con the Koplitz brothers. I don’t have a dog in this fight. BUT- I wonder why you constantly bring up the two properties they have on Ocean Pathway. I have checked out a great many of the hotels/ B and B’s in Ocean Grove. These two are 2 of the most beautifully decorated, well maintained,and professionally staffed hotels in Ocean Grove. And they are reasonably priced which is why they are so often sold out. So- talk about the Sampler or the Park View but be fair. If you think the Ocean Plaza is deteriorating, you must feel that many of the other places are ready for destruction .
Can the town initiate rigorous inspections on these Koplitz properties (in Janet’s entry above) to assure that all applicable standards and laws are being upheld?
Also, can someone explain to me what the Koplitzs’ business model is? How are they making money with the approach they are following?
Ocean Grover, you are spot on! The slowly deteriorating condition of the Ocean Plaza and the other B & B that the Koplitz brothers own on Ocean Pathway is another example of how these characters operate. Really sad.
OGCMA owns the land in OG. Has the Lease been paid?
I agree with Progress that it takes far too long for things to play out. Evidently it’s still not completely settled and I worry that the Park View, with the same people involved, will end up in the same way, endlessly mired in the legal system.
As far as complaining, I’m sure anyone would be thrilled and wouldn’t say a word if the Koplitz brothers bought the house next to you, plan to convert to condos and have it sit vacant and rotting for 10 or 15 years while they sidestep through the court system as your precious property value plummets while your taxes increase every year.
Mike — That’s a very good question, and we’re working on it. Since the Sampler bankruptcy there’s been litigation involving a variety of lenders and corporate entities. Stay tuned.
So, who owns the land now, the bank?
Bullets: I couldn’t disagree with you more. Our neighbors uniting together is NOT “obnoxious.” What I find obnoxious is commenters who belittle and berate others on this forum…please stop that. It’s not useful or helpful; it’s antagonistic.
Things worked out for the best. Single family homes (that look Victorian and in character with the street) trump condos any day. The big question, and tragic aspect, from all of this is why it took so many years for this to play out. This should have been resolved in a couple of years. Neptune Twp is way too tolerant of derelict buildings and the courts are way too timid in issuing fines and holding those who do not comply in contempt. Why are the courts and the Twp. repeating this same pathetic response again with the Park View?
Bullets makes a good point. If the plan presented to the HPC by a prior owner had not been rejected as inappropriate we might have condos there now. The prestigious Michael Graves architectural studio proposed a very ambitious design to the HPC for the Sampler. The somewhat “over the top” design was not within OG’s architectural guidelines. However, before a more traditional facade design could be resubmitted for approval, financial conditions changed. A big Main Ave condo could be generating even more comments than this thread.
This article highlights possibly the most obnoxious aspect of Ocean Grove life. The incessant complaining of residents regarding anything that bothers them.
While the eventual abandonment of the structure required action, the complaints about the conditions during it’s operation are ridiculous. Complaining about trash issues? did the property not generate trash prior to these residents owning homes on Heck Ave? Only those residents who lived on Heck prior to the Sampler being built have a right to complain about normal commercial operations. When you purchase a home near a hotel these are the issues you have and should educate yourself on before buying.
Perhaps the building would still exist if the original condo plan was allowed. The residents fear of some issue with this plan possibly caused the death of the Sampler.
In Charles Murray’s new book (Coming Apart: The State of White America 1960-2010), he says that an “unparalleled aspect of American community life has been vibrant civic engagement in solving local problems.” He says that “Americans historically formed voluntary associations at the drop of a hat.”
Murray quotes Tocqueville who said that “Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types of dispositions are forever forming associations.”
The Heck Avenue civic group’s engagement with the Sampler matter is a wonderful example of citizens joining together to solve problems and gathering support within the community’s existing resources. It is truly the American way. We all should be proud of them.
And thanks to Charles Layton for his terrific piece…..exclusive on Blogfinger!
Thank you Charles for telling our tale. I also want to thank the OGHOA who fought just as hard and offered us endless support. As frustrating as it was dealing with government, I also understood that government’s role should be first to protect property rights. However the Sampler Inn’s property owners failed to see what seems obvious to most Ocean Grovers — that with rights come responsibilities. As much as I love the beach and the history and the Victorian architecture, my favorite part of Ocean Grove will always be its residents and especially my neighbors.